I like to paint, but my pictures are rarely realistic. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I don’t like to paint something that would look far better as a photograph. So, when I paint, I interpret what I see or feel or think into an image that causes my family to say those caring words, “What exactly is that?”

When we paint a picture of God with our song words that show how we see Him or how we feel or what we think about God based on our perception and experiences, we won’t be painting a realistic or accurate picture of Him. We’ll be running it through our own personal filter, and the image will be slightly or blatantly distorted.

God already painted a picture of Himself—a self-portrait of His characteristics and ability. We see a consistent picture of God revealed in the Bible. That’s the picture we should paint with our song words and our worship sets.

Most people really don’t know who God is. They may think that He’s just a God of judgement, or that He’s irrelevant, or just a God of love and grace who overlooks all sin. When we take the time to read the Bible, we see the picture He clearly painted of Himself.

We have the awesome opportunity to take His self-portrait and to set it to music, to pair the songs that are about who He is and what He’s done to paint a striking canvas that reveals the complexity and beauty of His personality, His actions, and His interactions with people.

He’s not just love. He’s not just grace. He’s not just one thing. He’s joy, justice, faithfulness, holiness, compassion, comfort, inspiration, dedication, strength, and more. He has and gives wisdom, clarity, vision, power, directives, and so much more. He’s rescued both those who have known Him and those who haven’t. He has planned, established, directed, created, and enacted His plan.

We need to look at the Scripture and compare it to what we’ve been singing and saying. Let’s paint an accurate picture of God in corporate worship. Let’s focus on praising Him for what He’s done and declaring the depth and breadth of His awesome character.